Understanding
by Kaylee21
Summary: George is feeling lost after Fred's death...can Luna help him to find his way?
1. Chapter 1

It had been an exceptionally long week and George was exhausted. All he wanted was to head back to his flat and go to bed. He was finally back in the shop full time. Everyone had insisted that he take some time after the final battle. In his opinion time was the last thing that he needed. Resting up wasn't going to make him forget that Fred was dead; however he didn't have the heart to argue this one with his mother. He knew she was worried about him, they all were. George understood why they were worried, the problem was that he couldn't seem to muster up the energy to do or say anything to make it better. He woke up every morning in a flat he'd never intended to live in by himself and went to a job that was built on a dream he couldn't have had alone. Every time he looked at one of his family members he couldn't tell who they were seeing and he hated it, there was no way to tell whether the look of sadness in their eyes was for him or the brother whose face he wore. He pulled the door closed behind him running directly into someone who was standing in front of the shop.

"Sorry George. I didn't expect you to come out the door right then." George bit off the angry retort he'd been preparing and stared at the young woman standing in front of him. Luna Lovegood stood about a head shorter than him and gazed calmly up at him as if waiting for him to speak.

"No problem. I was just heading home. Did you need something?" George asked gesturing to the dark shop behind him.

"Oh no. I was on my way home and I wanted to look at the window display."

"Oh, yeah…it's not…it needs some work still." The window behind George displayed various Wheezes products. It was organized and precise and looked fantastic; it also looked nothing like their old displays which had usually included periodic explosions, flashes of light and charmed merchandise which would jump around as if trying to escape the window. "Percy was nice enough to take care of it." George explained.

Luna nodded, "yes, Fred liked to do the window didn't he? Well it still looks lovely. I'll see you later then." With that Luna turned and headed down the street leaving George staring after her eyes wide at the fact that he had heard his brother's name mentioned in passing conversation for the first time in months.

* * *

Sundays were rapidly becoming George's least favorite day of the week. He loved his family and he understood why his mother wanted her children around her, but as far as George was concerned there was nothing relaxing about sitting around at the Burrow. There were too many memories and too many subjects to be avoided. George was sitting at one of the picnic tables in the backyard sipping his firewhiskey laced tea and trying to determine how much longer before he could go home when he heard the back door open. He turned and watched as his father made his way across the yard and sat down next to him.

Surprisingly his father was now one of the easiest members of his family for George to spend time with. George suspected that it had something to do with the fact that they had similar coping methods. They were hurting but neither of them talked about it much. With his father George knew he wasn't expected to say anything or feel a certain way. His father let him be and there was something unexplainably wonderful in that.

Each member of the Weasley clan was coping in their own way and had been ever since the battle. Bill was running himself ragged trying to be the perfect son and perfect husband as if he could make everything better by never making a mistake again. At first George had been annoyed at Fleur and the way she seemed to let Bill wait on her hand and foot but recently George was starting to suspect that his sister-in-law knew Bill better than any of them gave her credit for. Bill had been in a constant state of motion since the final battle and right now he needed to keep moving. Fleur seemed willing to let him do that but George also had no doubt that she would be the one Bill turned to when he was finally unable to keep running. Charlie had returned to Romania shortly after the funerals and thrown himself back into work. Ginny was focusing on taking care of Harry and rebuilding their relationship. Ron spent most of his time with Hermione and Harry. George still didn't know everything that his younger brother had been through during the previous year but he knew Ron well enough to know that it had been bad. Occasionally Ron would get a strange look in his eyes and George knew he was remembering something. Whatever they had been through the trio seemed to have allowed Ginny into their circle and then closed ranks around each other. They all seemed to take care of each other and George figured that they more than anyone deserved some happiness given everything they had been through over the last year.

Percy was the hardest to be around. He didn't seem to know how to act around the family he had abandoned. Some Sundays he would sit quietly seemingly afraid to say anything and other weeks he went out of his way to be engaging, making time to talk to everyone, trying to be helpful as if he felt he needed to earn his place back in the family. Percy had offered to take care of the shops accounts and since Ron had cut his hours back and started Auror training it had made sense. George was grateful for the help but he still avoided time alone with Percy.

"How's business going?" Arthur asked breaking into George's train of thought.

"Not too bad. It's been busier since Ron is working less but nothing I can't handle." George said taking another gulp of his drink. Arthur glanced at the cup in George's hands but didn't say anything. "I saw Luna Lovegood the other day." George said still staring out across the yard.

"How is she? She's running The Quibbler now isn't she? I think Ginny mentioned something..." Arthur said.

"I think so; I'm not really sure what she's doing. She mentioned Fred though" George paused for a moment but continued when his father didn't say anything "it was nice. To hear him mentioned I mean, just casual like. We don't do that."

"No, I supposed we don't. It's hard for your mother" Arthur started.

"It's hard for all of us." said George cutting him off.

"You know what I mean. She wants to make sure you are all ok."

"Not mentioning Fred doesn't make us ok! He's still gone, all we're doing now is pretending he wasn't ever here. How does that make anything better?" George stood as he felt his control slipping. He could hear his voice rising but he couldn't seem to make himself speak any quieter. He stared down at his father, his chest tight with the effort of controlling his breathing. Arthur studied him for a moment looking directly into his eyes. When he spoke his voice was low and firm.

"We all miss your brother George. Do you imagine that you loved him more than the rest of us? That you are hurting more than anyone else right now? Has it occurred to you that your family cares about you and doesn't want to upset you by talking about Fred all the time? We all handle things differently but don't you dare accuse any of us of trying to pretend your brother was never here." Arthur leaned back wearily and George turned to go.

"Tell Mum I said good night." George said as he walked towards the garden gate.

* * *

George sat on the floor of his flat leaning against his couch and staring at the fire in the grate through a now half empty bottle of firewhiskey. He shouldn't have mentioned Fred tonight. Every time he spoke his name it was like something inside him snapped. He was drunk and he had to open the shop in about six hours. He knew he should go to bed but he couldn't imagine sleeping tonight, he knew exactly what would happen if he tried. Ever since the final battle he'd had nightmares. Sometimes he saw scenes from the final battle, playing back over and over in his mind like a film. Mostly he saw Fred. Fred lying dead under rubble, Fred laughing at something he'd said, Fred talking about their brilliant future now that the joke shop was taking off, Fred covered in blood. No matter how the dream started it always ended the same way, Fred staring at him with cold and lifeless eyes and asking why George hadn't saved him. Given the options George preferred to face a morning made fuzzy by a night of alcohol. A hangover was infinitely better than waking to the sound of your dead brothers screams only to realize that they were actually coming from you.


	2. Chapter 2

George arrived at the shop 15 minutes after it was due to open the next morning. Cursing himself for his lateness he moved to unlock the door and noticed that the lights were already on inside and Verity was standing at her usual place behind the counter. Opening the door George glanced at her curiously, "how did you get in?" he asked.

"You're lucky I did since we've already had two customers. Your brother let me in; he stopped by to drop something off. He's in the back." she added, turning and smiling as the front door started cackling to indicate another customer. George walked towards the back office to thank Ron for opening the shop. He knew better than to drink that much on a work night. Entering the office he was surprised to see Percy hunched over Fred's desk.

"What are you doing here?" George asked before he could stop himself. He appreciated Percy's help but it was still somewhat unnerving to have him in the shop. The shop had belonged to Fred and George. Whether or not it was fair George couldn't imagine Percy being invested in the joke shop if Fred was still alive so seeing him here now working at Fred's desk felt wrong. It served as yet another reminder that Fred was gone and never coming back.

Percy jerked upright at the sound of George's voice, "Oh! Morning…I was just dropping off some papers for you to sign. Mostly standard Gringotts forms but I thought I'd swing by and get them on my way home tonight." Percy said glancing down at the desk and then towards the door as he spoke. "Verity was here so I figured I could open the place for you since you..." Percy trailed off.

"Thanks. I was running a little behind this morning." Percy watched him for a moment eyes blinking behind his horn-rimmed glasses.

"Right. Well, have a good day then" Percy said as he headed toward the front of the store.

It was several hours later when Verity poked her head into the office. "We are running low on day-dream charms."

"I'll make some up before I leave tonight" George said as he crumpled the piece of parchment in front of him and threw it onto the ground where it landed among the other sheets that he had tossed aside during the course of the afternoon. Fred was the one with the big ideas. George could implement most things that Fred came up with but Fred was the one with the ideas. He needed new products, especially since the holidays were coming up. The problem was George wasn't sure he was capable of coming up with ideas the way he used to. He and Fred had worked as a team, they always had, each one finishing the others thoughts, improving on ideas that only seemed to work out once they put their thoughts together. Sitting at his desk in front of yet another empty sheet of parchment George couldn't help but wonder if maybe he couldn't do this after all.

* * *

The Leaky Cauldron was crowded for a Tuesday night and George stood in the doorway looking around for a place to sit. Making his way up to the bar he smiled at the blonde rapidly filling a tray with Butterbeers. "Hi Hannah. You're busy tonight" George observed glancing around the room.

"I know! Tuesday's are supposed to be a slow night, I was planning on meeting Neville later but I think all I'm going to be good for is a quick bath and bed! Are you here for dinner?" Hannah asked as she continued filling glasses and balancing them on the already full tray.

"That was the plan but I'm not even sure I can find a place to sit tonight" George laughed.

"Well grab a seat if you can find one!" Hannah called as she headed out to deliver her drinks.

"Hello George" said a rather dreamy voice from over George's elbow. George turned to see Luna looking up at him with pale blue eyes. "I heard you talking to Hannah. I'm sitting in the corner if you want to join me. You don't have to but you said you didn't have a place to sit. Of course I can just give you my table if you want, I'm not very hungry after all and that way you could sit by yourself."

"You don't have to give me your table." George said hurriedly. The idea of sharing dinner with Luna Lovegood was not something that George was particularly excited about, but he also didn't relish the idea of trying to find something to eat back at his flat. Besides, Luna was a nice enough girl and Ginny seemed fond of her. "I can join you if you want" George offered. Luna smiled and George was struck by the transformation that the action caused in her face.

"Alright, I'm over here." Luna said as she walked back towards a table along the back wall of the room. George sat down across from her and caught the eye of one of the waitresses who came over to take his order.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" George asked glancing at Luna who had nothing but a large glass of water sitting in front of her.

"No thank you. I'm not here to eat tonight." she said looking intently at a spot that seemed to be right above George's left eyebrow. Luna didn't say anything else and seemed perfectly happy to sit silently drinking her water and looking around the room. George however had never been particularly comfortable with silences and when his food arrived and Luna still hadn't spoken he felt the need to at least try and talk to her.

"So why are you here tonight then? If you don't want anything to eat and you aren't meeting anyone" asked George.

"I like to watch people" Luna answered calmly. "It's interesting don't you think?" Luna continued to look around and George wasn't sure if she expected an answer or not. He supposed that it could be interesting to see people out and observe them but he couldn't help but feel that the idea of someone staring at him was unnerving to say the least. "It's good to see you here though; I know you don't go out a lot." Luna continued.

"How do you know that?" George asked, wondering if in fact he would have been better off simply skipping dinner altogether and heading home as soon as he saw how busy the Leaky was tonight.

"I told you, I like to watch people. Plus Ginny worries about you." said Luna.

"I didn't realize you and Ginny talked often."

"Oh yes. We have lunch sometimes. I missed her after she left last year so it's always good to see her." Luna once again lapsed into observant silence and George sat trying to remember what he actually knew about the girl sitting across from him. He knew from Ginny that Luna and Neville had been instrumental in keeping the DA going after Harry, Ron, and Hermione had left Hogwarts. He knew Luna had been taken by the Malfoy's at some point and he knew that her father had been killed by Death Eaters some time after she was kidnapped. Other than that the girl in front of him was a bit of a mystery.

"Luna, how did you know that Fred was the one who liked to do the window displays?" George asked giving voice to the question that had been in the back of his mind since the day he'd met her outside the shop. Luna looked momentarily confused,

"Is it a secret?" she asked

"Not really….I just don't remember talking about it ever. We don't...didn't...mention who did what. It was just our shop see?"

"It just makes sense that he would do the window. He had the big ideas and you took care of the details. You're good at figuring things out. The window was always more of a big idea. Oh! There's Neville, do you mind if I say hello?" Luna asked. George simply nodded and watched as she wove her way between the crowd towards the bar where Neville was standing. Everything she had said was correct. Fred was always the one who could visualize the big picture; in fact most of their ideas started with Fred and then it was up to George to figure out how to make things happen. The thing that shocked him was that Loony Lovegood knew this about him. He wasn't sure that all his siblings would have been able to answer as accurately. He and Fred had worked well together. It didn't matter who did what because between them they always got things done. Plus it was easier to keep their individual strengths to themselves. If George wasn't good at something Fred probably was and whose business was it anyways? Since they were little the twins had been a team. They were both strong individuals but the rest of the world didn't need to know or see that. So why was it so obvious to Luna? "Sorry, I just wanted to say hello to him" said Luna as she slid back into her seat. "So how is the shop?"

"Oh, it's good. Staying busy."

"Staying busy helps." Luna offered as she finished her water.

"So you run The Quibbler now right?"

"Yes, I took it over for my father. I like it. It's interesting and the people enjoyed working with my father so we work well together." George noticed her eyes dimmed slightly when she mentioned her father and felt a slight pang at having mentioned him. Though, he reasoned, it was hard nowadays as almost everyone had lost someone or been touched by the war in some way or other. "Well I'm done" Luna said pushing aside her empty glass, "I'll see you later then."

"Wait!" George said as she started to slide out of the booth. "I mean...I'm almost finished if you want to wait"

"I just didn't want to bother you, but I can stay if you'd like me to" Luna said sitting down again.

"Why do you think that you are bothering me?" George asked.

It was true that Luna was making him feel slightly unbalanced but he hoped that he hadn't made her feel that he was annoyed. Luna was looking directly at him for the first time that evening and seemed to be trying to figure something out. Whatever she was looking for she must have seen because she nodded to herself and said, "I know that you like to be by yourself and I just don't want you to feel like you have to talk to me if you'd rather be quiet."

"Well I'm honestly not bothered and I don't feel like I have to talk to you so you should stay" George smiled. Luna gave him one last look before settling back into her seat and launching into what turned out to be a surprisingly interesting story about a report on Swedish Nargles that she was in the process of writing. George found himself watching her as she spoke. He wasn't exactly sure what it was about her but she made him feel comfortable. Ever since the final battle George had felt on edge, jumpy even; but for some inexplicable reason sitting in the back corner of the Leaky with Luna Lovegood, of all people, he felt almost relaxed. Maybe it was because she was so frank about everything. He wasn't worried that she was trying to figure out what he was thinking or feeling because he suspected that if she was curious she would just ask. However she also seemed willing to just sit silently, after all, he was the one who had started talking at dinner.

George had long since finished eating but as he hadn't made a move to get up Luna seemed content to continue talking. He listened as she told stories, some of them about the paper, and some of them about school. Neither of them noticed the Leaky slowly emptying out and George was shocked when Hannah walked over several hours later and said that she was closing up.

"Which way are you headed?" George asked Luna as they stood outside the now dark tavern.

"Oh I'll just apperate. I'm still living at home. It was nice running into you George."

"It was nice running into you too Luna. I'll see you later." George said surprised at the questioning tone that he found had crept into his voice.

"Well of course. I'll be at the Burrow at some point. Good night." There was a soft pop as Luna disapperated, waiting a moment George turned and headed back to his flat.


	3. Chapter 3

George woke up covered in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. Glancing around the room he tried to calm his breathing and remember where he was "you're at home, you are in your room, the battle is over, he's gone…."he talked himself through the familiar litany as he slowly climbed out of bed and headed towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. The dreams weren't getting worse but they also weren't getting better. George was no stranger to nightmares. He remembered nightmares from when he was little…nightmares about falling or getting lost, stupid things now that he thought back on them. He remembered his siblings waking up with nightmares, Ron would dream about spiders, Percy would dream about getting kicked out of school. He also remembered when the nightmares started to change, Ginny screaming about the Chamber of Secrets, Ron still yelling about spiders, and Sirius Black, and giant brains. Worst of all were his mother's nightmares. Molly Weasley didn't wake up screaming, she would wake up crying. To George and the rest of his siblings that was much worse. George Weasley was no stranger to nightmares, but he was used to nightmares that ended when you woke up. Not for the first time he wondered if he would spend every night for the rest of his life seeing Fred. With that thought in mind he grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey that was next to the sink and headed back to bed.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late." George said as he entered the Burrow through the back kitchen door to the sight of his family already sitting around the table, "I got stuck at the shop."

"No worries dear" said his mother as she jumped up to take his cloak. "I thought you weren't open today."

"We aren't but I was working on something." George said sliding into an empty seat and only then noticing that the place beside him was occupied by Luna. "Oh hello!"

"Hello George. Ginny invited me for dinner tonight." Luna said by way of explanation.

"Good to see you again" George said looking up to catch Ginny staring at him.

"So how is the shop dear?" Molly asked as she started passing dishes around the table.

"Things are good. We've been busy." George said giving the same answer he always gave.

"Well that's wonderful dear! So Luna are you planning on heading back to school for your last year?" Mrs. Weasley asked turning to her guest. The school had been badly damaged in the final battle. In addition to the physical rebuilding that needed to be done the wards needed to be completely reworked. It was decided that Hogwarts would re-open in December and students would forego the regular winter holidays. Ron and Harry had both started Auror training already but Ginny and Hermione were planning on going back to finish their seventh year.

"No. I missed most of last year and since I'm already running The Quibbler it just makes sense to stay where I am" Luna answered.

"Oh but aren't you going to miss finishing your classes?" Hermione asked as if she couldn't think of a worse punishment.

"I don't think so. Besides everything would be different and since I can't really go back it wouldn't make sense for me to go back." While half the table looked somewhat puzzled about this circular logic it made sense to George.

"I don't think anyone is quite as excited as you are to go back." Ginny said smiling at her friend. The conversation around the table continued as George sat and thought about what Luna had said. What would it be like to go back to Hogwarts now? He knew how much Hermione loved school and mum had pretty much insisted that Ginny finish her last year but he couldn't imagine going back and trying to be a regular student after everything that had happened. They had just lived through a war; the idea of sitting in Charms class seemed more than a little redundant.

* * *

George could hear the rest of the family laughing in the other room as he finished the dishes. He insisted on cleaning up pointing out that since he'd been late he hadn't helped get anything ready. Slipping out the door he sat down on one of the benches in the back garden and stretched his long legs out in front of him. Ginny had shot him a glance before following the rest of the family into the other room so he wasn't surprised when the door opened about ten minutes later and his sister stuck her head outside. "Wondered where you got to" she said sinking down next to him on the bench.

"What is it Ginny?" George sighed

"What? I didn't say anything!"

"The last two Sundays you've been looking at me like you have something stuck on the tip of your tongue and you stopped by the shop twice this week for no apparent reason." George laughed in spite of himself. He adored his baby sister but sometimes she was very obvious.

"Fair enough" Ginny smiled. "I'm just worried about you" she said softly, her smile fading slightly. "I don't know what will help and I don't know what to say to you but you are my big brother and I love you and I'm worried. You just seem like you are pulling away and I know what to do when Harry does that but I don't know what to do for you."

"I'm not Harry Gin" George said wondering when exactly his baby sister had turned into the beautiful and loving young woman who was sitting next to him.

"I know….I just…talking helps George. It really does. And you don't have to talk to me and you don't have to talk to anyone in the family really….just find someone…please?" She wasn't crying, Ginny rarely cried but George could see a slight sheen in her eyes and she wouldn't look directly at him. What was he supposed to say to that? That he didn't know how to talk to anybody? That he'd never actually needed words with the one person he shared everything with? That he was afraid that as soon as he started sharing any of the pain inside him he would split down the middle and never be able to pull himself back together again?

"I'll try Gin."


	4. Chapter 4

George was sitting on his couch drinking firewhiskey with the practiced efficiency that comes from routine when there was a loud knock on the door. "Be right there" he shouted as he stashed the bottle in the kitchen. "I said I'm coming" shouted George as he opened the door to the slightly flustered face of Lee Jordan. "Jeez mate no need to bang the door down" George said as he stepped aside to let Lee in. In all honesty George hasn't seen too much of Lee since the final battle. George loved Lee like a brother but more than anyone else it was difficult to be with him now that Fred was gone. With his siblings as least he had memories that didn't involve Fred, not many but some. With Lee everything was tied up with Fred. Every joke, every conversation, every prank, every secret; all of it was between the three of them. With Fred gone everything about their friendship felt off.

Lee hadn't sat down and was standing with his hands jammed awkwardly into his pockets as he looked at George. "I realize I should have owled before showing up.."

"No need mate, you know that. My house is your house and all that" Lee continued to look at him strangely and George realized that while he'd said that a hundred times before, it had stopped being true months ago. There was a time when it wouldn't have been at all out of the ordinary for Lee to show up unannounced and yet tonight George was having a hard time ignoring the tingling feeling in the back of his head that said something was up.

"I know, I mean you've said that…I just wasn't sure what you were up to tonight." Lee continued to look around the apartment as if searching for something.

"Do you want a drink or to sit?" George vaguely gestured around the flat as he spoke.

"Sure" Lee had no sooner sat down on the couch then he jumped up again and started pacing around the room. "I need to talk to you."

"That much I'd gathered, what's on your mind?" George sat down and tried to relax the muscles in his shoulders. He couldn't imagine what Lee had to say to him but whatever it was it was making him nervous.

"I know we haven't talked much since…recently" Lee started.

"We've both been busy…"

'It's more than that….I know things are different. And maybe it's hard to spend time together because it just brings up all these memories and stuff and you've had your family and the shop and whatnot and that's all grand but I need you to know…..Angie and I are dating" Lee let out a breath as he finished and stared at George.

"Oh..wow..I mean that's great, congrats. Never figured you two for a couple for, well for obvious reasons, but good on you mate"

"It's not like we've been keeping it from you or anything. It just happened and I haven't seen you but I wanted to tell you."

The room was getting warmer and George felt like everything around him was speeding up. "Well of course you weren't keeping it from me. It's not like she and Fred were married, can't expect a girl like Angie to be single forever now can you? That's great Lee, really great. I'm happy for you guys." George's voice sounded higher than usual and the smile he could feel on his face wasn't his own, it felt like someone had plastered it there for him.

"Right" said Lee looking at him uncertainly, "we both miss you you know…it would be good to get together yeah? Maybe grab a pint or something?"

"Of course, the three of us sounds grand. Listen mate, I actually have to run back to the shop but thanks for stopping by and letting me know" said George jumping to his feet and ushering Lee towards the door.

"Sure thing. Listen, are you really alright? I mean, I didn't want to upset you or anything but I wanted you to know."

"Not upset at all, honestly I just have to run but congrats again." Lee was looking at him doubtfully as he closed the door and sagged against it. The room was continuing to feel warm and starting to spin as George tried to remember how much he'd had to drink before Lee showed up.

It honestly shouldn't matter George told himself as he walked back into the kitchen. Of course Angie would date someone else at some point, and why the hell not? She was smart and funny and gorgeous. And there wasn't any reason why she shouldn't date Lee. It shouldn't have mattered and yet George felt like everything was spinning and confused and none of it made any sense. He sat down on the kitchen floor, not even having the energy to walk back to the couch. The first gulp of firewhiskey burned as it went down his throat. By the fifth gulp the spinning had stopped, leaving a dull hum that seemed to permeate the air and surround him. He finished the bottle.

* * *

Fred was buried on a hill overlooking the Burrow. The stone was relatively plain, Fred would have rolled his eyes at some gaudy monument, and near a tree so that the spot was always shaded. George couldn't see the house in the dark but he knew it was there and that in daylight his mum would have been able to look out her kitchen window and see him. He sat with his back against the tree staring at the back of the stone. The night was chilly and the wind was whipping around him but the alcohol was doing a tolerable job of keeping him warm. "You'd laugh if you could see me mate, sitting here drunk of my ass in the middle of the night talking to your headstone. Feels a bit melodramatic really, like some scene out of one of those sappy novels Mum used to read. Most days it still doesn't feel real, not at first anyway, though if we're being honest it was always going to be one of us right? Not much chance of a family of nine coming through a war intact is there? Angie and Lee though…..never would have guessed that. Kind of makes sense though, friends forever and all that…." George shook his head. "Get up you idiot" he thought to himself, "it's not like he's going to answer." He swayed slightly as he pulled himself up and faced the direction of the Burrow trying to decide if he could come up with a reasonable excuse for showing up in the middle of the night. He didn't relish the idea of being the poor drunk and emotionally wrecked son who couldn't make it home but he also wasn't keen on the idea of splinching himself in an attempt to make it back to his flat. The lane leading away from the Burrow curved down to his left at the foot of the hill. There was no reason he couldn't walk for a bit, sober up and then apperate home. He would be exhausted tomorrow for sure but at least he'd be able to wake up in his own flat. The image of his mothers worried eyes staring at him over the breakfast table made up his mind for him.

Carefully making his way down the hill so as not to lose his balance George set out heading away from the Burrow. The lane ran between large expanses of field on either side, the moonlight illuminating the tall grass that swayed in the breeze as George walked. He had been walking for about twenty minutes when a dreamy voice came from his left "Hello George". Swearing and drawing his wand as he turned George found himself staring at the small figure of Luna Lovegood. She was sitting in the tall grass to the side of the lane. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I sat up when I heard someone walk by and I saw it was you."

"What are you doing out here?" asked George as he slipped his wand back into his jeans pocket and tried to get his heart rate under control. Luna stood up and George saw that she was dressed in a shabby overcoat covered in pockets. The coat came all the way down to her toes and was much too large for her. She seemed to swim in it as she made her way onto the path where he was standing.

"Oh I like it here. I was watching the stars. Have you ever really watched the stars at night George? They are fascinating. My house is just up the road" she added as an afterthought. George stared at her incredulously.

"But it's 2 o'clock in the morning."

"Oh yes." Shaking his head George continued along the path with Luna falling into step beside him. "You think I'm a bit odd" she stated. George glanced over at her and started to disagree but she continued "it's alright. Most people think I'm a bit odd. Honestly I don't mind. I just thought you might feel better if you knew that I knew you thought that." Luna stopped talking and stared straight ahead as she walked. George sighed. How exactly had he ended up in this situation? He wasn't good with words, at least, words that didn't involve making a joke and he sincerely doubted that he was going to suddenly find the right words while half drunk at two in the morning. Luna was odd. There was no denying that. However she was also sweet, and very observant and she always seemed to want to make other people happy. None of which were bad qualities in George's opinion. In any case he certainly didn't want to make her feel bad, and her wanting to watch the stars in the middle of the night was no stranger than him deciding to go and talk to his brother's grave.

"We're all a little odd I suppose." George offered.

"Yes" said Luna.

"So do you come here often? To look at the stars I mean?"

"Sometimes when I can't sleep. Soon it'll be too cold though" Something in her tone made George glance sideways at her. The casual way she mentioned not being able to sleep was all too familiar to him. It was the same tone that he heard in his own voice whenever his mother mentioned that he looked overtired. He wondered what kind of nightmares Luna had. "How are things at the shop George?"

"Oh, good I suppose. We've been staying busy. I saw my friend Lee tonight." George said, suddenly unsure why he had felt the need to mention that.

"Lee Jordan? I always liked him. He was very funny at school. How is he?"

"Doing well I suppose. He wanted to tell me, that is, he stopped by because he wanted me to know he was dating Angie, Angelina Johnson, wanted me to hear it from him. She used to date Fred you know." George felt his throat tighten as he mentioned his brother's name.

"Is that why you wanted to see Fred tonight?" George stopped walking and turned to face Luna who looked up at him with those astonishingly wide and clear eyes.

"How did you know I went to see Fred? Were you following me?" George could hear his voice rising "Did Ginny tell you to keep an eye on me? Is that it? None of them can mind their own damn business. I don't need anyone looking after me and I certainly don't need someone reporting back to my baby sister about me!" Despite the fact that he was yelling Luna continued to stare unblinkingly at him.

"Ginny didn't ask me to do anything. I just assumed you were coming from the Burrow since there really isn't anything else up the path that way and it seemed late to be visiting. Sometimes I like to go visit my parents at night. Then I know it'll just be us." Luna turned and started to walk again but George caught her arm.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I did go see Fred and then I wanted to go for a walk. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything Luna." Luna's lack of reaction to his outburst made George feel sheepish. She was hardly the type of girl to lay in wait for him; if Ginny had asked her to keep an eye on him she probably would have walked right up to him and asked him how he was doing instead of making up a story about being out late watching the stars. No, Luna was nothing if not genuine. If she said she had simply assumed he was talking to Fred than that's what had happened. Luna watched him for a minute and then started walking again glancing over her shoulder after a few paces to see if George was coming. Taking this as an invitation George caught up to her and continued on in silence for a few minutes until asking, "What did you mean? About knowing it'll just be you when you go to visit your parents?"

"I like to go and talk to them. I don't mind if people see me go there, but sometimes I want to know that no one does see me. Sometimes I want to visit my parents and have no one else know I was there."

"But why?"

"I'm not sure. I've never thought about it. I think I just like there to be something private between the three of us. Like we're still a family and some things we don't have to share with everyone else." George smiled slightly to himself. He didn't think he would have been able to put it into words but he knew that was why he most often went to Fred's grave at night. Not because he didn't want people to know that he went there, but because when he went was between him and Fred, it was the only secret the two of them could still share. Even if no one else understood that impulse it made perfect sense to the girl walking next to him and however odd Luna Lovegood may be George found that thought incredibly comforting. Later on George would trace everything back to that one moment. His desire to talk to Luna and everything that came later was born of that moment of feeling perfectly understood for the first time since Fred died.

"That is why I went to see him you know, Lee stopping by I mean. It just felt like I should tell him, which is probably pretty stupid all things considered."

"I don't think it's stupid at all. I'm sure he would appreciate you wanting to tell him yourself."

"That's just it" George snorted "He's dead, he can't appreciate anything anymore." Luna waited a few minutes as though gathering her thoughts.

"He certainly can't appreciate things like you and I can but that doesn't mean it's silly to tell him things. He's not entirely gone afterall, you still remember him. I still talk to my mother you know, she's been dead for years but I still tell her things and I think she's knows that somehow." For someone who had a reputation for being loony George thought that Luna made a tremendous amount of sense.

"I'm happy for Lee really, him and Angie both. It's just strange. I wasn't there while it was happening. I didn't see it coming. I'm not sure it ever would have happened if Fred was here. Not that he and Angie would have gotten married or anything, I just think….Fred dated her first you know? Lee wouldn't have started anything with her."

"I always thought Fred and Angelina were a beautiful couple. Some people just look well together, though she and Lee will look very nice too." George noticed that Luna's voice had taken on the familiar dreamy quality again. It was usually present in her voice but he noticed it seemed stronger when she was remembering something; it was the same tone she had used when she'd been asked about returning to Hogwarts. "Here we are" Luna stopped walking and nodded to a small cottage just off the lane. The cottage seemed to go up instead of going out, it looked to be about three stories high and the top floor seemed larger than the two below. This gave the place the look of something about to topple over. George suddenly remembered Ginny mentioning that Luna's house had needed to be rebuilt after the war.

"Did you design this yourself?" he asked. Certainly the precarious nature of the house wasn't something that an architect would have envisioned.

"Oh yes! Do you like it?" asked Luna as she turned a beaming face towards him. "I had them start and then I kept thinking of new things that I wanted and needed to add on. I think they were rather sick of me at the end. That's why the top is the biggest part, I had to make sure I put everything else I wanted there." George couldn't help but smile at the image.

"It's lovely. It reminds me a little bit of The Burrow, the way it's stacked like that."

"I am glad! I was thinking of The Burrow when I built it. Not exactly like it or anything, but I wanted a home and I can't think of a better home than The Burrow. Your family always reminds me of family." George was once again struck by the way that Luna seemed to share incredibly personal things without giving it a second thought. The Weasley's certainly hadn't spent any amount of time with the Lovegood's in the past, in fact George couldn't remember meeting Luna until she'd come to Hogwarts. He vaguely remembered when her mother died. His mum had sent food and visited Luna's father, but she hadn't taken him or any of his siblings along with her. He remembered her saying how sad it was, especially for the little girl. And yet that girl, who hadn't been a part of their lives until she met Ron and Ginny thought of them when she thought of family. It was sad and sweet and strangely humbling all at the same time. "Thank you for walking me home George. I'm sorry if I interrupted your walk though." Luna gave him a slight half smile before slipping into the house before George had a chance to say anything else. He stood there for a moment wondering at the singular individual that was Luna Lovegood before shaking his head and apperating home.


	5. Chapter 5

George had never been the type of bloke to be nervous about women. Girls thought he was funny and that was all he'd ever needed by way of a conversation starter. True, he hadn't dated much in school but there had been a war on and he'd been busy; and it wasn't as if he really wanted to date Luna so there was certainly no reason to be nervously standing across the street from The Quibbler like some terrified third year! Squaring his shoulders and reminding himself that he came from a long line of Gryffindors he crossed the street and entered the surprisingly normal looking lobby of The Quibbler offices.

He wasn't exactly sure what he had been expecting but the utterly normal and professional room seemed at odds with the wild stories he associated with the paper. There were several comfortable looking chairs and sofas scattered around the room, and a young witch sitting at a large desk in front of an elevator at the far end of the lobby. George walked over to the receptionist and asked if Luna Lovegood was available. "I think so; she usually doesn't leave for lunch until after 2, let me check". The girl pulled out her wand and tapped her desk twice; George watched as a list of names appeared on the surface of the desk. Scrolling to find Luna's, the girl proceeded to tap it twice. Luna's name glowed green and then all the names disappeared leaving the surface blank again. "You can go up. She's working but accepting walk-ins. The office is on the third floor." Nodding his thanks George headed to the elevator. There really was no reason to be nervous. Luna was a friend. They had had a nice chat the other night and he wouldn't mind seeing her again. Ignoring the fact that his stomach was doing flips George walked out of the elevator and into the offices of The Quibbler.

The offices took up the entire third floor of the building. Stepping out of the elevator George found himself in a large room with several desks where wizards and witches sat scribbling on parchment of various lengths. There was a glass office towards the far side of the room and George could see Luna sitting at her desk reading. As no one seemed interested in him he made his way over to her office stopping in front of the door. "Er, hello" said George trying not to notice that his voice seemed slightly higher than usual.

"Oh!" said Luna looking up at the sound of his voice. Her hair was pulled back in a knot that seemed to be held together by a quill and her eyes seemed to be even wider than normal which George took as a sign of surprise.

"Sorry, the girl downstairs said I could come up…"

"Of course. Hello George. How are you?"

"Good…..I just thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to grab some lunch today..or some other time…"George trailed off not sure what else to say and wishing that he'd actually made some sort of plan before barging into her office.

"That sounds lovely. Why though?"

"Oh well…"

"I really do think lunch sounds lovely George. We've just never had lunch before and I wondered why you wanted to today."

Torn between turning the whole thing into a joke or making up some other excuse George heard Ginny's voice in his head. "Because I like talking to you and there aren't many people that I like talking to right now. And Ginny wants me to find someone to talk to, and I don't like to upset my little sister if I can help it." George finished hurriedly.

"So it's not a date then?"

"No, well…did you want it to be or…" again George trailed off and wondered how it was possible for her to make him feel so unbalanced. He hadn't thought it was a date but he certainly didn't want to hurt her feelings either, and maybe he just should have forgotten the whole thing.

"I just thought I'd ask. Once Neville took me to the Three Broomsticks and I thought it might be a date but he didn't and then he felt uncomfortable but he didn't want to tell me he was uncomfortable so I thought I'd just ask you right away so you wouldn't feel uncomfortable later. Would you like to go now?"

George ran his hand through his hair wishing that he could match Luna's seemingly unwavering level of serenity. "Of course, if you're hungry. I was thinking we could go to the Leaky since it's close."

* * *

As they walked Luna chatted about the story she was working on about a recently discovered tribe of gnomes in Siberia. George was interested in spite of himself. There was something about the way Luna talked when she got excited. Her eyes seemed to dance, and the dreamy quality that he had come to expect from her shifted into a focused excitement that she practically buzzed with. By the time they had reached the pub George had decided that no matter what anyone said Luna Lovegood was fascinating. Luna asked George about the shop and they talked more about her work at The Quibbler. It wasn't until they were almost finished eating that Luna looked directly at him and asked "so why did you want to have lunch with me today George?"

George looked up from his plate startled; he hadn't expected her to ask. Hadn't he explained back at her office? "Well, like I said, I like talking to you" he answered hoping that was enough. Apparently it wasn't.

"Yes I know that's what you said. I'm just wondering why. You have your family, and your school friends. I'm sure they would love to talk to you." Something about the clear gaze that she was giving him made George suspect that she knew exactly why he hadn't chosen to talk to them. "I don't mind, I rather like talking to you too." She added as an afterthought.

"Does it matter?"

Luna passed for a moment before answering, "Not really. I just thought there was probably a reason and you might feel better if you talked about it. But if you'd rather not we can just finish eating."

As if to prove she was content with either option Luna took a large bite of her sandwich and shifted her gaze from George's face. George was about to take the offered escape when he stopped. It really did seem that Luna wouldn't mind if he didn't want to talk about anything. For months all he had wanted was to be left alone but no matter who he was talking to there were always questions right under the surface. "How was he holding up?" "What was he feeling?" "What did he need?" "Did he think about Fred often?" So why now, sitting across from someone who looked at him with eyes holding no unasked questions did he want to talk? "You're easier to talk to than my family, and much easier to talk to than my school friends. You didn't know us. I mean, we weren't friends in school." George stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. "What I mean is, that you didn't really know Fred, so when you are talking to me I know that you are just seeing me." George dropped his hands back onto the table and stared at his now empty plate. "I know it sounds selfish" he said quietly "he's gone and I just…" he stopped again not knowing what else to say.

"I don't think it's selfish at all. We all want to be seen George." Glancing up he saw that she was looking directly at him again. It would have been unnerving if her eyes didn't seem so soft.

"I miss him; I just don't like feeling like I make it worse for everyone else when they see me."

Luna smiled sadly at him, "No one looks at you and thinks you're Fred. Even when he was here you weren't the same." George scoffed but Luna continued, "Do you really think your family didn't see the differences in you? Or your friends? They miss him. And now they probably miss you too. I don't think that makes it easier for them." George felt the blood rush to his face at that but stopped himself before he could snap at the girl calmly watching him from across the table. Wondering if she was the most genuine person he had ever met George tried to manage a smile.

"Thank you for having lunch with me Luna. We should probably both be getting back to work now."


End file.
